There’s an exciting new television show set to debut next month on ABC. It’s “Pan Am” and it follows the lives of the classy, elite Pan Am stewardesses during the height of the airline’s popularity in the early 1960s.

Passion, adventure and espionage… They do it all – and they do it at 30,000 feet. The style of the 1960s, the energy and excitement of the Jet Age and a drama full of sexy entanglements deliciously mesh in a thrilling and highly original new series, “Pan Am,” premiering SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, on the ABC Television Network.

Welcome to the Jet Age. It’s 1963. WWII and Korea are history. A new kind of war, a Cold War, is underway. The world is poised on the brink of a cultural revolution, and everywhere change is in the air.

In this modern world, air travel represents the height of luxury, and Pan Am is the biggest name in the business. The planes are sleek and glamorous, the pilots are rock stars, and the stewardesses are the most desirable women in the world. Not only are these flyboys and girls young and good looking, but to represent Pan Am they also have to be educated, cultured and refined. They’re trained to handle everything from in-air emergencies to unwanted advances – all without rumpling their pristine uniforms or mussing their hair. These pre-feminist women form a powerful sisterhood, as they enjoy the rare opportunity to travel outside the country — something most women in this age can only aspire to – and one of the few career options that offers them empowerment and respect.”

Pan Am will take flight on ABC Sunday, September 25 at 10 pm ET/PT.

On Saturday evening, Sony Pictures Television treated us, and several of our friends and colleagues, to a screening of the pilot episode of “Pan Am” at The University Club atop Symphony Towers in San Diego. We were greeted with flutes of champagne, scrumptious hors d’oeuvres, and a breathtaking view of San Diego.

Then we settled into comfy chairs and plush sofas to escape to the friendly skies full of romance, intrigue and espionage!  This show has fantastic casting including one of our faves Christina Ricci.  The premiere episode has lots of unexpected twists and turns so if it’s any indication of the rest of the series, we’re in for some fun!

When the screening was completed, we were directed to our dinner by two lovely ladies dressed as Pan Am stewardesses!

@busydadblog getting properly addressed by the Pan Am stewardesses

Dinner was buffet of culinary delights: gourmet salads, steak, lobster tails and sushi!

At the end of the evening, lovely PanAm bags w/goodies inside were distributed by our dinner/in-flight attendants!

O2O's own Barbara, Paula, Amber, Linda & Malia striking a pose.

Experiencing this fun event with great friends made it a fabulous evening!

The bulk of our gratitude extends to the wonderful people at Sony Pictures Television! Not only do they know how to make exciting TV shows (Pan Am, Community, Damages, The Big C and more) but they also really know how to throw a classy event!

Are you ready to board Pan Am this fall and see the world? We know we are!  Thanks for flying with us. Bye. Buh-bye now. B’bye.

(Follow @PanAmABC to get the latest news, pics and behind-the-scenes info and check out the trailer currently on our sidebar.)

Photo Credits: Jen Tilley & Malia Carden

See more photos (by Jen) here!

Summer is prime grilling season and this year Johnsonville has introduced a new product that gives ordinary burgers a bit of competition! Right now, in stores, you can get Johnsonville’s Mild Italian Sausage or Bratwurst Patties. They are an extraordinary twist to the typical dinner cook-out!

Get your creative juices flowing and build your best burger using Johnsonville Brat or Italian Sausage Patties, and you could win a year’s worth of groceries from WalMart in the “No Ordinary Burger Contest!”

Now through September 6, log on to the contest page and submit your recipe and vote for your favorite pork burger. Two grand prize winners will be awarded one year’s worth of groceries and their winning recipes featured on Johnsonville Brat and Italian Sausage Patty boxes!

My recipe is inspired by one of our family’s favorite dinner meals, Spaghetti with homemade sauce & Italian sausage links. And whenever I make this dinner, I serve it with homemade french bread. When I saw that there was an Italian Sausage patty, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

As far as toppings go, you can use your favorite tomato sauce, whether it be homemade or from a jar because it’s not the toppings that take primary place in this recipe, it’s the bun. Using my favorite bread recipe, I modified it to make buns instead of loaves.

Don’t those look gorgeous? They are soft and chewy with just the right amount of crispness on the top. They are not overly flavorful (but don’t get me wrong, they do taste good!) so they don’t compete with what you put between them. Instead they compliment the flavors and provide a gourmet aspect to your meal.

That Italian sausage patty is topped with mozzarella cheese and my homemade spaghetti sauce – Mama Mia!  If you bake the bread in the morning and grill your patties outside, this is a dinner that will not heat up your house in the hottest part of the day! Which is good news for most of the United States right now!

How would you top a burger like this? If you’ve tried them, what were your inspired toppings?

Holidays with specialty food themes are fun to celebrate! And this particular one is a favorite of mine. Mexican or Tex-Mex type food is part our weekly menu rotations; but it’s fun to also mix it up a bit and do a few different things to make May 5th a particularly tasty day.

Let’s start with a refreshing drink, shall we? Margaritas are the quintessential mixed drink for this holiday and this post from Masters in Marketing (of all places) with 12 different margarita variations will surely have something for everyone on this list! The Blackberry Mint margarita sounds especially tasty to me!

Now for an appetizer. Chips and salsa are great but how about some fresh made guacamole! Rachel has a Blissdom inspired recipe and Jo-Lynn’s is simple yet classic.

For the main course, I think this family enchilada recipe that’s been preserved and handed down through the generations sounds particularly yummy. Of course, you’ll have to figure out how to spice it up yourself because according to Manda, that’s a closely guarded family secret!

Or how about some Ceviche Tostadas? That looks like a simple but tasty recipe that adds a seafood flair to your dinner! (Stephanie also includes a Sangria recipe in that post…another great Cinco de Mayo drink!)

I found a delicious side dish quite unexpectedly the other day. My son and I were at Publix, picking up a few items and they had samples of their featured Apron’s meal available. It was a chicken fajita with Mexican Grilled Corn. Both were delicious but it was the corn that had me grabbing the recipe card so that I could make it myself!

And for dessert, more margaritas? Well, no, but margarita cupcakes would hit the spot! What surprised me the most about this recipe is that Liz says she bakes them in margarita glasses!

Are you planning a themed dinner for tomorrow night? Link your recipe posts in the comments so we can drool some more!

photo from Microsoft ClipArt Online

Fat Tuesday, the day of indulgence before the fasting of Lent, is always all about the food! Bloggers, even those who are are not necessarily food bloggers, love to talk about food! And as usual, we’ve found some really amazing recipes and ideas from our members who are celebrating Mardi Gras.

First of all, if you’re unfamiliar with Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras, how it came to be and what it’s traditions are, What’s That Smell has a great post highlighting the fun facts of Mardi Gras.

The quintessential dessert for Mardi Gras is King Cake and Super Glue Mom has an awesome recipe!

Today is also known as Shrove Tuesday which supports a tradition of having pancakes. Life As Mom enlightens us on all things pancake!

If sandwiches are more your style, Party Bluprints gives us the low down on making your own Muffuletta, a traditional New Orleans sandwich.

Home-Ec 101 has a to-die-for Shrimp Étouffée recipe!

And if you’re feeling festive, The Answer is Chocolate has some free printables to help with the party atmosphere!

Happy Mardi Gras or as they say, Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Even if you don’t love football, chances are you’ll find yourself hosting or attending a Super Bowl gathering this Sunday night. It seems the Super Bowl has become much less about the game and much more about getting together with good friends and sharing good food! And of course, those “oh so clever” commercials.

We wanted to find some super yummy recipes to share, that you could easily add to your pre-game preparations. Turns out, we didn’t have to look very far. Our very own, Amber (O2O VP), has a super easy and fabulously yummy 7-layer dip on her game day menu!

Amber’s 7 Layer Dip

• 1 can/8oz refriend beans (black or pinto)
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 c. homemade guacamole
• 1 c. shredded cheese (cheddar/jack mix)
• 1/2 c. tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 c. green onions, chopped
• 1 sm can/4 oz. black olives sliced.

On a large plate, spread out refried beans evenly using spoon. Then spread out guacamole on top of beans, then sour cream on top of guacamole. Cover sour cream layer with cheese. Then sprinkle tomatoes, green onions and olives. Serve immediately or chilled with your favorite tortilla chips. I like to serve mine with Tostitos with a hint of lime.

And as they say, “we get by with a little help from our friends”! A quick shout-out to the Internet and some of our members were happy to link us to their favorite Super Bowl recipes.

This Ultimate Cheesy Bread Bowl from Sami Cone sounds absolutely divine!

If you like to live life on the spicy side, try this Buffalo Chicken Dip from Susie QT Pies.

Tonya Staab will be serving these Sliders which are so versatile and look quite scrumptious!

And of course you need something sweet to soothe your palette after cheese & hot stuff & bacon-y goodness! Melissa suggests these Cherry Cordial Cupcakes. They look like an unassuming cupcake but they have a berry nice surprise inside!

Most people will serve soft drinks and that quintessential football beverage, beer, at their gatherings. Beer is cool, but what really fluffs my pom-poms is a good cocktail. That’s why I was super excited to see this article about a Super Bowl cocktail showdown! I’d love to give the ‘Steel Helmet’ a try and that has nothing to do with whom I’ll be rooting for in the big game!

What are your plans for Super Bowl Sunday? Are you hosting a party? Attending a party? Rooting for the Packers? Rooting for the Steelers? Whatever your plans, we hope you have a fun (and responsible) time and that maybe we’ve given you a few ideas for your party menu!

Earlier this fall a group of mom bloggers visited 2 family owned California Dairies in Modesto, California as guests of the California Milk Advisory Board.  They learned about nutrition in milk, the health and safety of the herds, life on a dairy farm and what cheeses are best paired with what wines (my personal fave!).

Everyone had a ball and came back with some practical knowledge that they shared on Blissfully Domestic.

From blogger Amy Oztan of Selfish Mom:

http://blissfullydomestic.com/2010/california-dairy-farm-tour

“I was impressed with the care the cows received at both farms.  They’re regularly tended to by veterinarians and every effort is made to ensure that they are as comfortable as working animals can be.  We saw firsthand how multiple generations of dairy families work the farms and contribute.  I loved watching the toddlers watching the cows – what an amazing thing to grow up with!”

Tonya Staab of  Create, Celebrate, Explore

http://blissfullydomestic.com/2010/holiday-entertaining-cheese-platters

photo courtesy Tonya Staab

“There seemed to be a general consensus with the group that the most creamy, mouth watering cheese tasted was won hands down by the Gioia Burratta.  It was drizzled with California extra virgin olive oil, and topped with fleur de sel (sea salt) and cracked pepper.  We also added a little smoked salt over the top.  The flavor and texture was absolutely amazing.”

Christine Mathias of Blissfully Domestic:

http://blissfullydomestic.com/2010/happy-california-cows

Great care and thought is given to the food the cows are given.  The farms have personal and ongoing relationships with veterinarians and nutritionists to ensure the cows receive a perfectly balanced diet; this diet changes as the cows needs changes depending upon their age and other life stages.

The cows physical comfort is always taken into consideration…an uncomfortable cow is a stressed cow, and that will affect milk production and quality.

Cows are NOT given antibiotics prophylactically.  When a cow is ill and antibiotics are necessary for its health, it is removed from the general herd and taken to a different location for the duration of its treatment.  Not until the antibiotics are out of its system and the cow is healthy again is it allowed to return to milking status.

And Ellen Durrer, who owns the family farm, Durrer Dairy Farm.

http://blissfullydomestic.com/2010/life-on-a-dairy-farm

“From our dining room window, we have a great view of our dairy farm, which has been owned and operated by my husband’s family for 3 generations. My father is a 4^thgeneration California dairy farmer, who lives and works on the same farm that he was raised on as a child and where my parents raised me and my siblings. We are Real California dairy families, representing 99% of California dairy farms that are family owned and operated and just like ours, many of these operations have been passed down through the generations.”

We also have an active forum conversation about cooking with milk. Sign up and join the conversation Also keep an eye on your inbox for information on a new Wine and Cheese app, which you’ll likely hear about this week!  Stay tuned!

We bake a lot of cookies this time of year. With two teen daughters who both love to be in the kitchen, the holidays mean yummy treats and a lot of chocolate!

Have you seen the virtual cookie exchanges online?  Bloggers are full of fun ideas and I’ve gotten some great cookie ideas from these ladies and hoping for more to come!

Domestic by Design hosted a virtual cookie exchange this week and will be showing us ways to make the holidays healthier.

So this year, since there’s been many a transition, a very busy December ahead of us (two weddings, among Christmas parties here and there), I thought it would be so much fun to team up with other women in the blogging community to host an online Christmas cookie exchange.

But not just any Christmas cookie exchange.  Many of you are eagerly seeking to transition to a healthier lifestyle, so I thought it might serve you to show you that you can make your desserts healthy–and enjoy eating them, too! I am so excited to be joined by other real food bloggers–many women who I’ve learned from over the past few years.  What a treat!

I for one can use all the help I can get in the “healthy holiday” area!

Some others we like (and you definitely want to check them out for more cookie ideas than you have time to bake!)

One 2 Try

Mommys Memorandum

I’m off to bake!  Happy Holidays!

As I try to teach my 7 year old daughter about responsibility (doing chores around the house, saving money, etc.), I find myself pulling out classic ‘mom-isms’ like “Well, honey, your bed isn’t going to make itself.”

I recently decided to take a hard look at my own responsibility for taking care of myself.  As much as I’m in denial that I’m not getting any younger and that I have to be realistic about my eating habits and exercise regimen,  I’m a super-busy stress eater and when I’m in ‘spinning plates’ mode, steady self-control is usually the first to go.  The next thing I know, there’s a Starbuck’s pumpkin scone in one hand and a chai latte in the other. (Curse you Starbuck’s for being across the street from my office!!)

But, in the same way that my daughter’s bed isn’t going to ‘make itself’, neither is healthy food.  It takes some planning and intention however, as I’ve recently learned, it’s not as hard as you think.  You know the saying, ‘Fail to plan, plan to fail’?  It holds true for healthy eating especially if you’re a busy person.  I mean, it’s so much easier to grab something simple and processed from the pantry or office snack drawer and pop it into your mouth on the go right?  BUT I recently began something that, for me, has been making a big difference – pre-prepping veggies.  It’s part of my plan.

I go to the grocery store on Sundays, select a wide variety of fresh vegetables and then come home, get out the cutting board and literally like 15 Tupperware containers and I get to work.  Slicing, chopping, cutting.  Onions, tomatoes, green & red peppers, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, celery, mushrooms and more.  I basically have my own salad bar all ready to go in my fridge.  I add some black beans, edamame, garbanzo beans then I have mixed greens, spinach and baby arugula.

Each morning, (ideally after attempting exercise of some kind), I fire up the extra virgin olive oil in the pan, throw in a variety of the prepped veggies, saute, add eggs and voila!  Then before I leave for work, I grab a selection of whatever strikes my fancy that day, throw it into a container with the greens of my choice.  Add either tuna, hard boiled eggs or maybe even meat from dinner the night before.  I pack some individual sized hummus and celery with some apples and peanut butter or cheese stick to tide over those afternoon munchies and I’m out the door.  When I get home at night  exhausted, I don’t have to order out because it’s literally quicker to make something using the food I’ve prepped than getting take-out AND much cheaper I may add. (Big love to the frugalistas out there!)

The main point is, that you DO have to take responsibility and make a little effort but a little planning goes a long way. It’s only been about a month so far but I’m already feeling much better and my whole family is eating better as a result.

How do you take responsibility for your own health regimen?

I think we all know someone who has been touched by Breast Cancer in some way. You may have even been touched yourself. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month  and One2One Network is working with Milano again, this time to honor those affected by Breast Cancer.   Pepperidge Farm is turning their Milano packaging pink – inspiration for the cure!

Pepperidge Farm has launched a Facebook Campaign to encourage consumers to share a “Milano Moment” – one when they realized life is sweet.  Personally I have many moments and several of them include Milano’s!  Of course there are the obvious moments such as getting married, have a baby, watch the baby take his first step.   Maybe if you are a blogger it’s the first comment you got that wasn’t from your sister.  The hope is that we can have many moments when life is sweet and that fighting this disease will allow more people to survive and have those moments too.

Awareness is a good thing.

From now through October 31st, Pepperidge Farm is donating $.50 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for every Milano moment shared on the Milano Facebook Page (up to $50,000).

If you are a One2One network member, you can sign up to participate in the “Milano Moment” blog, twitter and Facebook campaign.  If you are not a member yet then what’s keeping you?

You’ll find details on your One2one Network page.  Won’t you help us spread the word?

Disclosure: Members are participating in a campaign with Pepperidge Farm and One2One Network and are eligible to win prizes for their participation. Their personal testimonials and opinions about the product are their own.

I love to read any food blog, but these are a few of my favorites because of the crazy good sweets the ladies write about.  I am a sucker for cupcakes, and I have found some that are “must read” and “must drool”.

Cheryl at Tidymom.net‘s photography is as yummy as her cupcakes!

“Well, my mom always enjoys a good dessert like the rest of us, but there is one treat she always LOVES…… Ice Cream Floats. A big tall glass with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, pour root beer or cream soda over the top, stick in a straw…….. THAT is mom’s idea of heaven!!

This moist nostalgic cupcake will take you to decades past, when ice cream floats (and sodas) were once so popular at the local soda fountain.”

via Root Beer Float Cupcakes | TidyMom.

It doesn’t even need to be summer for these floats!  It’s such a cute idea especially with the straws as an accent.  How do these ladies come up with this?  Thanks Cheryl for such a cool idea!

Liz at Hoosier Homemade has a weekly cupcake challenge, and so it’s a good bet you will find me on her blog on that day. Doing research…of course..

“Autumn is in full swing at our house. We’ve gone apple picking, bought some mums, decorated the Mantle and the Hoosier Cabinet, been baking up a storm…and now, making Scarecrow Cupcakes!”

via Scarecrow Cupcakes – How to Video | Hoosier Homemade.

These cupcakes would make any kid get into the fall spirit.  I can imagine these selling like hot “cupcakes” at any school fall festival!  If you try either of these tasty treats let us know, or give us a link to your favorite cupcake!  Y’all probably have some recipe we have to try!